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- The various activities have been classified into three main sectors i.e., primary, secondary and tertiary.
- The primary sector includes agriculture , forestry , animal husbandry , fishing , poultry farming , mining and quarrying .
- The secondary sector includes manufacturing .
- The tertiary sector includes Trade , transport , communication , banking , education , health , tourism , services , insurance , etc.
- The activities in these sectors result in the production of goods and services.
- These activities add value to the national income and hence are called economic activities .
- Economic activities have two parts — market activities and non-market activities .
- Market activities involve remuneration to anyone who performs i.e., activity performed for pay or profit . These include the production of goods or services , including government services.
- Non-market activities are the production for self-consumption . These can be the consumption and processing of primary products and own account production of fixed assets.
- Due to historical and cultural reasons, there is a division of labour between men and women in the family. Women generally look after domestic chores and men work in the fields.
- For example, Sakal’s mother Sheela cooks food , cleans utensils , washes clothes , cleans the house and looks after her children . On the other hand, Sakal’s father Buta cultivates the field , sells the produce in the market and earns money for the family.
- Sheela is not paid for the services delivered for the upbringing of the family. Buta earns money , which he spends on his family.
- Women are not paid for their service delivered to the family. Hence, the household work done by women is not recognised in the National Income.
- Geeta, the mother of Vilas , earned an income by selling fish.
- Thus women are paid for their work when they enter the labour market.
- Their earnings like that of their male counterpart are determined based on education and skill.
- Education helps individuals to make better use of the economic opportunities available before them.
- Education and skill are the major determinants of the earnings of any individual in the market.
- A majority of women have meagre education and low-skill formation and thus are paid low compared to men.
- Most women work in the unorganised sector , where job security is not there.
- Various activities relating to legal protection are meagre. Employment in this sector is characterised by irregular and low income .
- In this sector, there is an absence of basic facilities like maternity leave , childcare and other social security systems .
- However, women with high education and skill formation are paid at par with men.
- Among the organised sector , teaching and medicine attract them the most. Some women have entered administrative and other services including jobs , that need high levels of scientific and technological competence.
